Okay, this isn’t a lungo cup, but… so many site visitors have ended up purchasing JoyJolt products that I had to check into this brand of double-insulated glass coffee cup.

And, well, check out this Cadus cup! Pretty interesting, isn’t it? The espresso stays in the center and the milk both drops and rises. I’ve always liked looking at Nespresso coffee just after it’s brewed, but this is an entirely new visual!

This cup comes in 10 ounce and 16 ounce. My link goes to the 10-ounce version since that’s closer to Nespresso’s recommended latte size: 110 ml of espresso and 110 ml of milk.

Despite the many, many beautiful, even artistic, lungo cups I’ve posted on this site over the years, nothing beats a thoughtful, handmade ceramic piece of art, insulating a warm cup of coffee. This is my favorite way to drink coffee, and my favorite lungo mug is shown here, at left.

And I’m sorry, but it’s not for sale.

This is one of many handmade cups I’ve purchased from Northwest Missouri State University’s semi-annual art and pottery sale. It’s a wonderful event, a chance to peruse dozens of potential lungo cups, picking each up, inspecting the grip, studying the design, and measuring the height to ensure it will fit under my Essenza spout. (I can usually eyeball this now, but to be sure, I take out a bill of any denomination and fold it in half. Each bill is six inches, and to fit under the spout, it has to clear 3 1/4″.)

I usually don’t post my handmade mugs here because, well, these are one-of-a-kind mugs and not directly for sale on Amazon. But last month, when I purchased this new addition to my collection, I couldn’t keep Veronica Watkin’s work to myself any more. I realized that I’ve collected a number of her pieces, and they just keep getting better and better.

If you look through her work, you’ll see a beautiful collection of bowls and trays that seem to have sprouted from a sunset over the Badlands. The colors and shapes are soothing and pleasing, almost putting me in a trance.

Veronica teaches ceramics — among many other art courses — at Northwest. She has been inspiring students to develop their curiosity and style since 2002. Imagine how many artists are making coffee cups like this today, thanks to Veronica’s gentle guidance!

I only found these cups after site visitors turned me on to them. I have to admit, they look very cool, especially in this red color. (They’re also available in teal, black and all silver, which also looks nifty!)

The espresso cups have a 2-ounce capacity. They’ll hold a single shot, and even a traditional Macchiato, with a dollop of thick foam.

The lungo cups have a 3.25-ounce capacity, which makes them work for a Nespresso lungo if you like your lungos on the small side. This cup also works for a double shot, or a small cappuccino. Its height is 2 3/8 inches, so it will fit under an Essenza spout.

If you’re concerned about a hot cup burning your lip or causing condensation rings on your tables, these cups have a double-wall construction to keep the heat away from the outside layer, so you won’t burn your hands.

Speaking of hands, if you’re a man with large fingers, you can probably successfully use this cup, at least up to your second knuckle.

Be sure to hand wash — washing in a dishwasher may cause the coating to chip or peel. That said, the seller, Blockwell, seems very responsive to any issues you might have with these.

Choose from fresh vegetables, seafood, meat, prepared foods, organic foods, and a number of different “categories”, even “snack cravings“! (Wouldn’t Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies go great with a Vivalto lungo?)

Basically, you just shop for the items you want, build your basket, and Amazon does the rest. Since the focus is fresh food, this service isn’t available in remote locations.

Besides the unmatchable, smooth coffee itself, the best thing about making a Nespresso coffee is the way it looks as its brewing into a clear coffee mug. That’s why there are so many clear coffee mugs here at LungoCups — to help you enjoy the good things in life!

This 8-ounce Tealyra cup is another option. Its shape is an attractive squat, only 2.83 inches tall, so it will fit nicely under Nespresso spouts.

These cups are made of heat-resistant Borosilicate glass, which, according to Wikipedia has very low coefficients of thermal expansion. Right. We are just coffee lovers, so, what’s that mean to us? It means they will keep your beverage either hot or cold, and the glass is stronger than other common glass.

A plus is that these are dishwasher safe, and customers on Amazon have verified this.

For now, we only know that the pods are scheduled to be available in the U.S. in the beginning of 2019. The capsules will be aluminum, like Nespresso’s, so it’s possible that we can recycle them the same way we recycle Nespresso’s pods. In addition to Nespresso machines, the pods also will work in Delonghi and Breville espresso machines.

The pods will be made by JAB, a big coffee conglomerate that sells 10% of the world’s coffee. Nestlé sells more than twice the coffee JAB sells, at 23%. JAB owns Peet’s coffee, Keurig Greem Mountain, Krispy Kreme, and a slew of other companies.

Ever since Nespresso lost its patent protection for the pods, many companies have offered compatibles. We don’t see too many here in the U.S., but they are readily available in groceries in Europe. Amazon sells this Bestpresso brand pod that’s Nespresso compatible. I haven’t tried it myself, but it gets 4.5 stars with over 2,000 reviews.

It will be great to see Illy pods available in my local grocery! This post will be updated once the pods become available.